On a flight...
I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down
in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight.
'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought.
Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the
aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding
me. I decided to start a conversation. 'Where are
you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me.
' Great Lakes Air Base. We'll be there
for two weeks for special training, and then we're deployed to Iraq .
After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made
that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It
would be several hours before we reached Chicago , and I
quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time.
As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his
buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like
a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably
wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we
get to Chicago .
His friend agreed.
I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying
lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the
flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to
all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed
tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked
me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it's almost
like you are doing it for him.'
Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the
soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked,
'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?'
'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked.
She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a
minute later with a dinner plate from first class. 'This is your thanks.'
After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the
plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me.
'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here,
take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars.
Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain
coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he
walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he
was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane.
When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand,
and said, 'I want to shake your hand.'
Quickly unfastening my seat belt I stood and took the>
Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I
was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone
bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never
forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard
from all of the passengers.
Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch
my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of
me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left
another twenty-five dollars in my palm.
When we landed in Chicago I gathered my belongings and
started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door
was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket,
turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another
twenty-five dollars!
Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering
for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and
handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you
some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a
sandwich. God Bless You.'
Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect
of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car,
I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers
were giving their all for our country. I could only give
them a couple of meals.
It seemed so little...
" A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life wrote a
blank check made payable to 'The United States of
America ' for an amount of 'up to and including my
life.' That is Honor.
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On veterans Day this year please say a prayer for the families of our Nations Fallen Heroes and thank a veteran for his or her service to our country.
John "KIKS" Ki